Monday the 30th of December 2013I had managed to finish work, plan tomorrows lessons, visit the supermarket, take a long shower, put on my pyjamas, eat a tube of pizza flavoured Pringles and generally relax in my apartment, all before 21:00PM. This is the first time since moving to Taiwan that I’ve been ‘ready for bed’ early, in the UK, this is probably my usual time to wind down. Although, it’s 13:36PM in the UK at the moment, it’s probably taken my body this long to figure out a regular sleeping pattern. I am a creature of habit, I like routines and I like feeling organised. So, tonight, I feel calm enough to write a blog post which isn’t a mass collection of everything I’ve been up to over an extended period of time.I bought a new water bottle today; I decided that the one I purchased when I first arrived was (and still is) absolutely perfect for milk. Every time I run out of milk in the fridge, I make my own using powdered milk (KLIM) and the refreshing ice water from the cooler on my floor. Usually, to make cups of tea or noodles etc., I use the water from the tap in my bathroom. I’m boiling it so it’s perfectly drinkable. I bought various other things too but the second water bottle was definitely a good move. I like that most water bottles here also double as measuring jugs, I’ve discovered a world of multifunctional products since moving here. Did you know you can actually boil an egg in a kettle?

On the 16th December 2013, I cycled to work wearing a Santa hat. It was a Monday afternoon, in just under a month; the temperature had dropped drastically in Hemei Township or 和美鎮 (Héměi Zhèn). As I travelled down the Dàozhōu Road, an icy wind whipped across my face causing my nose to run and my eyes to water. I taught a private class of one student followed by a pleasant, clever class of several. By the end of the day, the rain was coming down heavily; I was caught in a torrential downpour, by the time I got home I looked as though I had been swimming. Cycling home through an unexpected thunderstorm wearing a coat is akin to riding Valhalla at Blackpool Pleasure Beach without one.

On the 17th December 2013, I was sure my first lesson started at 13:50PM, it actually started at 16:20PM. I was pleased as it gave me some more time to prepare for my first presentation. However, the day took rather a strange turn for the worst as the presentation was with an inattentive group of teenagers. I spent the entire morning finalising beautifully hand written report cards, which the students decided to destroy, bend and chew on as soon as they were handed them. The presentation was filmed (although I was later told that it was not), the parents were sparse, I cried several times throughout the day and I felt like giving up. Introducing myself to the parents via my manager as translator and experiencing a difficult one on one conversation with an upset parent of two students late into the night was too much.

I can’t single handily solve the frustrations and psychological effects of the strawberry generation. The so called “Little Emperor Effect”, Taiwan’s low birth rate and the agonizing amount of pressure these students are under leads to a very stressful environment, particularly with regards to the teenage students. I left school very late that night, just before midnight I think, my manager was kind enough to buy me something to eat and drink before I left but I was still in a state of confusion as to whether or not I had made the right decision coming here.

By 1:00AM on the 18th December 2013, I realised that in the grand scheme of things, getting even marginally upset over several students intent on showing you how little they want to be in your classroom is probably not a good idea. It’s important to remember the things that make you feel confident when you feel uncertain. I decided to interpret the idea that ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step or 千里之行﹐始于足下 (qiānlǐ zhī xíng, shǐ yú zú xià)’ to find the strength I was lacking at the time. I don’t find seeking personal help through words to be a trivial way to pass the time, despite other people’s opinions of such an avocation.

The 19th December 2013, I was bought lunch by my manager, she referred to the meal as ‘jelly bean’ so I was expecting a polystyrene cup full of sweets, jelly beans, candy, something along those lines. Instead, I was given a sweet, gingery, watery soup like substance with silken tofu, various beans, grains and tapioca pearls at the bottom. On the 20th December 2013, I gave my first Christmas themed lesson. On the 21st December 2013, I drank my first cup of “British” tea since arriving after a fruitful trip to the supermarket. The 22nd December 2013 was the Winter Solstice Festival or 冬至 (Dōngzhì). I visited a stationary store to buy supplies for another Christmas themed lesson I had coming up and a larger supermarket to buy a new purse. I got on my bike and began to cycle home. A car hit my bike. My foot was trapped underneath the pedal. I heard the sound of crunching. The weight of my body and the weight of my bicycle fell on top of my right ankle. I was lucky; my helmetless head never touched the ground. I stood at the side of the road as the traffic sped past, my bike between my legs and an absolutely unbearable pain pulsating through my body, I felt as though I was going to be sick.

The cars kept going, as though nothing had happened. My eyes were tired and I decided to push through the pain, I got on my bike and cycled home, getting off my bike was more difficult that riding it. I fell in front of my apartment as I got off, the pain now worse than before. Once I had managed to get inside, prop my bicycle against the wall and remove my shoes, I decided to distract myself with social media, using Instagram, updating my Facebook status etc.

On the 23rd December 2013, I filled peoples News Feed with this: “I’m currently bandaging my grade two ankle sprain with fragrant Chinese herbs after a trip (pun intended) to the doctor followed by some controversial physiotherapy involving electric shock suction cups and ice… which I will endure yet again tomorrow (Christmas Eve) and the day after (Christmas Day). Merry Christmas! Here’s a partially torn ligament and a permanently unstable ankle joint!” On the 24th December 2013 or Christmas Eve, my ankle felt a lot better, I managed to put a little more pressure on it than I could yesterday (23rd December 2013) and the day before (22nd December 2013). It looked like someone else’s foot though which was quite strange. I think the herbs I had on there for about ten or so hours worked surprisingly well (placebo effect perhaps), they smelled similar to tiger balm but looked like (and had the consistency of) Nutella. I think the electric shock suction cups and ice must do something to the fluid in the foot. The doctor’s office was tiny, about the size of a box room. It was situated in the back of a small shop front.

The physiotherapy room was attached to the doctor’s office; it was a very public space, one which resembled a laundrette with the machines removed, as though they had been replaced by massage beds and electronic devices. There were a lot of people in the same room as me, all getting physiotherapy at the same time. I was sat on a wooden bench next to several people, we were all hooked up to the same machine, or at least I think we were.

Christmas Day, the 25th December 2013, Merry Christmas or 聖誕快樂 (Shèng Dàn Kuài Lè)! I was picked up at around 2:30PM and driven back to the doctors for more physiotherapy. I also helped a TA take down the Christmas decorations, tree and window displays etc. I managed to prepare a final exam for Friday (27th December 2013). I even managed to speak to all of my family members and I got to watch them open their presents via video Skype. I was eating my dinner (a whole chicken with its head and feet attached) whilst they were eating their breakfast. My ankle felt slightly better, a little less painful to walk on but I was still unable to put too much pressure on it. It generally seemed to be healing.

I’ve had a lazy day so far, streaming old episodes of Sherlock, eating chicken and tomato sandwiches, marking exams and generally trying to rest my ankle after working on it for a week. My school doesn’t have a lift and has a number of floors with steep stairs, teachers are not allowed to sit down during lesson time so I think that has probably extended the time it’ll take for my ankle to heal.

My previous posts were adaptations of notes I had saved in my iPad. I tried to make them as detailed as possible. This is a post written today, it will contain bullet points in order to summarise the time (one month yesterday) I have spent living and working in Taiwan. How time flies or 光阴似箭 (guāngyīn sì jiàn)!This is my Chinese name: 蒂芬妮。赫倫 It was given to me by the school I work for in Hemei Township or 和美鎮 (Héměi Zhèn).

On Monday 18th of November 2013, I was picked up at 4:30AM, outside my apartment on Zhōngyǒng Road by a TA, I climbed on the back of her scooter and she drove me up Zhāngměi Road towards Changhua City or 彰化市 (Zhānghuà Shì) where we were to meet another teacher at the bus station. From there we got on the 5:00AM bus to Taipei.

On arrival, we headed to the hotel but we were unable to check in until after midday, which meant taking our luggage with us to head office on the first day of Training Week. There were other teachers in the same situation, luggage under desks, coffee in hand. Some had arrived at the same time as us, others the day before, some were already living and working in and around the Taipei area.

Established in Taipei in 1994, Shane English School (SES) Taiwan currently operates six Saxoncourt-owned schools, three international kindergartens and almost 60 franchise schools. An active Study Abroad department also arranges overseas study tours to Shane Global Language Centres in the UK and other centres around the world. As well as operating the traditional private English as a Foreign Language schools and teaching methodology that proved to be so successful in Shane English Schools elsewhere, SES Taiwan launched the first Shane International Kindergarten in 1997, where children study English every day alongside their national curriculum classes.

Training Week involved spending too much money on food and transport, drinking a lot of Pocari Sweat, meeting teachers, wandering around, getting lost, observing lessons, lots of paper work, lesson planning, listening to interesting lectures on discipline, young learners, games etc. It was an overall great experience but I wish now that I had more free time to see old friends, to reminisce and to take in more of the culture.

The lectures made me feel like I could have been in any city, in any part of the world, yet outside the doors of head office was so much more. I thought they should’ve organised an extra day as part of Training Week, one less about teaching and more about Taiwan, the experience. I think being taken to a calligraphy class, flying beautifully ornate traditional kites or watching people make oil paper umbrellas might have been a nicer end to the week than rushing to get the HSR after a full day in a small room.

My favourite supermarket is http://www.supermarket.com.tw/ because it’s really close to my apartment. It’s not as big as Carrefour but the thought of travelling to Changhua City or 彰化市 (Zhānghuà Shì) on my bicycle every time I need to buy groceries is a little intimidating.

There have been a lot of things which have made me anxious whilst living in Taiwan. I think having to cut up two of my debit cards at 3AM after a Skype conversation with Natwest was really quite a daunting experience.

I still don’t have a passport as my ARC is being processed, that was pretty surprising for me, especially as I had to hand it in prior to Taipei, which made going out anywhere at night and even checking into the hotel more complicated than was necessary. I managed to get into a club (my first proper ‘night out’ in over a year) with my expired University of Liverpool student card. Also, I should mention that if you work at a franchise school, there are plenty of things not covered in Training Week that will never cease to confuse, astound and fascinate you. I think being thrown in at the deep end is probably the best way to learn. As they say no pain, no gain or 不入虎穴，焉得虎子 (bù rù hǔxuè, yāndé hǔ zǐ).

I have a favourite bakery here which I visit several times a week. It’s cheaper than the supermarket and it’s very fresh. They sell thick base (similar to hedgehog or tiger bread in the UK) “pizza” slices for about 10p… and they’re huge. They also have a loaf of bread with butter and jam already swirled through the loaf, I don’t have a toaster, which I imagine melts it perfectly but it tastes nice on its own either way. The lady who owns the shop is very nice, her child is a student at the school in Hemei Township or 和美鎮 (Héměi Zhèn). She gave me some free guavas.

I also got free guavas from the night market near my apartment, where I bought some bell fruit (water apple), Asian pears and Sharon fruit (I think it’s also known as persimmon). I was lucky to have one of the other teachers as my night market guide. She knows so much about Taiwan, I feel like I learn a lot from her, teachers teaching teachers. There are lots of wonderful markets here which sell very intriguing and delicious fruit and vegetables. Oh and nuts that look like moustaches, which tasted surprisingly good.

Saturday the 16th of November 2013My first solo bus journey occurred yesterday (Friday 15th of November 2013). I actually got lost in Hemei Township or 和美鎮 (Héměi Zhèn) in the morning when I got off the bus from Changhua City or 彰化市 (Zhānghuà Shì). I walked in circles for about three hours; in and out of alley ways, past temples and abandoned buildings, every dusty street looked the same to me, every tea shop and food stall similar, a barrage of sun-bleached signs, colour faded and confusing. With my extremely limited (almost none existent) Chinese and Taiwanese I attempted to find the school. Everyone I spoke to was surprised I intended on walking there. I saw my first real glimpse of betel nut stained teeth, wild dogs and extreme poverty. I realised that this is not the kind of place I should be walking around on foot as pedestrians are in a dangerous position here; there are no pavements/sidewalks anywhere, scooters are fast and recklessly driven and a lot of the cars are so high up the drivers mightn’t even see you as they attempt to reverse in the middle of a busy road.The beeping of horns, the humid air, the dust, the combined smell of street waft (drains), Sway Jeow (boiled or steamed dumplings) or 水餃 and Jen Jeow (fried dumplings), the buzzing of scooters and the roar of megaphones caused me to finally realise what I’d done. I had moved to Taiwan. I was lost in Taiwan. Luckily, someone eventually took pity on me and helped me find the school via a business card I had in my wallet.So, today (Saturday 16th of November 2013) was an interesting day, I was able to (with the help of my manager) replace the bedding originally bought for a single bed (the old apartment I never slept in) with double bedding (for the new apartment). I bought a plug adaptor (from the cheapest electronic store imaginable) so I could use my extension cable to simultaneously charge my laptop, toothbrush, phone etc. We then visited a supermarket so I could buy a towel, laundry detergent, hangers, instant noodles, bin liners, shower gel, shampoo, etc. and an afternoon market where I purchased the biggest apples I’ve ever seen (NT $100 for three) and some delicious tomatoes.In the evening, I organised my clothes for the Training Week in Taipei (Monday 18thof November 2013). I took an amazing shower in my new apartment, I then watched Meet the Robinsons (2007) followed by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) in my pyjamas.

Sunday the 17th of November 2013

I enjoyed experiencing a 拜拜 (bài-bài) today with my manager and her family. I burned ghost money or 金紙 (jīnzhǐ), ate some really delicious traditional food, met some really wonderful people and visited an ornate temple in Changhua County or 彰化縣 (Zhānghuà Xiàn). I’m looking forward to spending next week in Taipei City 臺北市 or 台北市 (Táiběi Shì). Being here has taught me that anything is possible or 死馬當活馬醫 (Sǐ mǎ dāng huó mǎ yī) and that taking chances in life is more important than sitting at home, wondering what could have been. Meeting the other teachers was truly inspiring, it takes a certain kind of person to throw themselves into another culture the way people do here. Three weeks ago, I didn’t know where I was going to work, where I was going to live, when I was going to arrive and how long I’d be staying for. I now know the answer to all of those questions and more.